Omneon, Inc., today announced that Four Points Media Group has deployed the Omneon Spectrum™ HD media server in a redundant configuration to provide ingest and simultaneous playout of SD and HD content for WTVX CW-34, Four Points’ station in West Palm Beach, Fla. The Spectrum system is sited at an unmanned transmitter facility in the Everglades, which is managed by remote control from master control facilities in Salt Lake City, Utah.
 
“The Spectrum HD system had the functionality we needed, in particular the automatic internal up- and down-conversion that bridges the gap between SD and HD, allowing us to live in both worlds,” said Kipp Greene, Four Points’ chief engineer. “But just as important as the functionality is the reliability and robustness of the equipment, the on-time delivery, and the excellent support from Omneon.”

A complete HD ingest and playout server in an integrated platform based on proven Omneon components, the Spectrum HD media server combines high-quality HD playout capabilities with flexible features to allow efficient migration to HD broadcasting. The system supports four redundant channels of HD MPEG playout.

WTVX was CBS-owned and operated until this year, when it was acquired by Four Points Media. Also part of the acquisition were KUTV CBS-2 in Salt Lake City; WLWC CW-28 in Providence, R.I.; and KEYE CBS-42 in Austin, Texas. The media group is now in the process of implementing a unified Spectrum server platform across all of its stations.

“Broadcasters like Four Points need flexible approaches to accommodate both SD and HD ingest and playout,” said Geoff Stedman, Omneon senior vice president of products and markets. “In addition to format, bit rate, and resolution considerations, broadcasters are making their technology purchases with an eye toward balancing existing investments and long-term strategy. With our combined broadcast know-how and IT expertise, Omneon delivers media servers that help meet business exigencies because they support all major formats and adapt and scale to fit the evolving HD landscape.”

About Omneon
Omneon is a leading provider of flexible media server and active storage systems that optimize workflow productivity and on-air reliability for the production, distribution, and management of digital media. Omneon is a pioneer in the use of advanced IT technologies and open systems for broadcast applications, producing a modular and expandable video server architecture in the Omneon Spectrum. The company's MediaGrid active storage system delivers centralized content storage that is scalable in capacity, bandwidth, and media-processing power. The company has an extensive global presence with customers in 45 countries on six continents. Omneon is on the Web at www.Omneon.com.

About Four Points Media Group
Four Points Media Group LLC is a holding company founded by the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management in 2007, with its purchase of seven television stations previously owned by CBS Television Stations, a subsidiary of CBS Corporation. KUTV, the CBS affiliate in Salt Lake City, serves as the master-control hub facility for Four Points' stations.

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